Green Eyed Monsters
by BlackEyedGirl
Summary: Happily ever after isn't as easy as it looks and everyone has some adjusting to do. Fairytale Series 3. Sequel to Three Wishes. SamJoshToby friendship


Category: Drama/Humour

Summary: Happily ever after isn't always as easy as it looks. Toby/Sam/Josh friendship.

Spoilers: Episodes up to Disaster Relief. The first two parts of this series: "Rolling with the Punches" and "Three Wishes"

Disclaimer: The West Wing is not mine but remains the exclusive property of Aaron Sorkin et al. Fiona however is mine. And also possibly an office I invited close to Communications for her.

A/N: I've been writing this for weeks and getting nowhere. Had schoolwork induced block and then a huge plot-hole. But I was as curious as a few reviewers just what would happen with Sam back and the reshuffle. So I wrote through the writers block, not so sure if it worked. This is unbetaed so apologies for any typos or nonsensical politics, I did try. On that note, if anyone is interested in being a beta occasionally my profile has everything I'm working on and I'd love a second opinion. As usual reviews, praising or otherwise, are welcomed.

_Re "Three Wishes" thanks to: wickedalchemist, Jen, W, Annewithane, Ivy and Geraldine. I love reviewers, especially consistent ones (*shameless hinting*)_

_Natlski: I've tried to tweak the dialogue cues a little here, hope it's a bit easier to follow! And thanks for the compliments as well of course._

_And special thanks to AEM1 for what must be THE longest review I've ever received __J___

*************************

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!  
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock  
The meat it feeds on.

_                        William Shakespeare – Othello_

'I don't have time for this. Either get in or don't. You can't just stand there.' The staffers milling around the Communications Bullpen looked up at Toby's voice. After a moment's hesitation and a few pokes in the back Sam appeared in the doorway. He smiled nervously and was hit by two blurs, one dark haired and one red.

'Sam!' Ginger and Bonnie exclaimed almost in chorus. He paused for a second before squeezing both tightly, an arm round each woman.

'Don't you even _think_ about doing that again!' Bonnie pulled back and looked at him sternly.

'He's worse when you're not here.' Ginger whispered in his ear.

'I think that may have had more to do with what was going on here while I was gone.' Sam replied. Both women shook their heads disbelievingly.

'We missed you anyway.' Bonnie smiled, giving him one last hug before going back to work with Ginger in tow.

'I don't believe it was as bad here as they think it was.' Toby commented, appearing behind him. 'But at least you can stop being neurotic.'

'I wasn't being neurotic. This place is just different when you've been away.'

'It's _exactly_ the same.' As if trying to prove Toby wrong, Fiona walked into the bullpen.

'Heya Sam.'

'Hey Fiona.'

'Or should I say hey boss?'

'Really no.'

'Ya sure? Well okay, but when you're complaining about my subordination I'll remind you of this.' She smirked, gave Toby a folder, and walked back out again.

'Where did you put her?' Sam turned to Toby in question. 

'She's just down the hall.' He answered. 'You and I are exactly where we were. So stop freaking out.'

'I'm not…' Sam trailed off as Toby looked at him knowingly. 'Never mind. I'm trying anyway. I'm just…'

'You're skittish.'

'Skittish sounds like I'm…a horse possibly. I'm understandably apprehensive at returning to a job that I quit. And I don't think it's unfair that the fact that it's in the White House be taken into account.'

'It was in the White House before.' Sam's reply to this was cut off as Leo entered the bullpen.

'Senior Staff in five.' He spied Sam and walked towards him. 'Sam. Here.'

'What's this?' He looked curiously at the folder passed to him.

'Briefing notes for Senior Staff. If you're diving right it might as well be at the deep end.' He paused. 'The President wasn't expecting you to be in for a week.'

'I know but…'

'Yeah.'

'Leo. Did Josh say…'

'He did.'

'The President?'

'Knows and is fine. Josh is still here Sam, what are you so worried about?'

'That he might change his mind about offering me a job?' Leo looked intently at the younger man, surprised at his frankness. He put a hand on Sam's shoulder.

'It's fine.'

'Yeah. Five minutes?'

'Four.' Squeezing the shoulder quickly he walked out to find his deputy.

********************

'Excuse me, do I know you?' The President pretended confusion as Sam entered.

'Good morning sir.' Sam was interrupted before he could get any further.

'You see you can't be my friend, a loyal member of staff from both campaigns, practically a son to me, because then I would have seen you in the last year.' Sam ducked his head at the sarcasm.

'I'm sorry…' Again Jed cut him off.

'It's good to have you back. So what are we doing?' The meeting buzzed around Sam who was, he admitted to himself, basking a little. He wasn't sure when exactly he had learn to listen while thinking about something else, but he saw the President's glare at being thwarted when he called on his new Communications Director.

'Sam?'

'I'll sit down with Fiona when we figure out what we can do.'

'Damn.'

'Excuse me sir?'

'Nothing. What's next?'

'We're done here sir.' Leo concluded the meeting and the staff gathered their papers to leave.

'Sam. Do you have a moment?'

'Of course sir.' He sat back down as the others left.

'Again, welcome back.'

'Thank you sir.'

'I was talking to Leo before this.'

'Sir I…' Jed interrupted.

'It is PTSD?'

'Not in the same way as Josh but yes.'

'How do you mean?'

'Josh was actually hit. And his attacks were close to the event. That's a textbook case. I wasn't hit and this is a longer time after the event. I don't have attacks in the same way Josh did, I don't relive it as it happened, I see what could have happened. That kind of reaction is less common. Plus, his trigger is music and mine is breaking glass. Lucky I guess.'

'Why do you say that?'

'Josh had to cope with bands in the White House and all the radios in here. Glass breaking happens less often.'

'Will broke Toby's window.'

'How?'

'I'm not sure but I suspect it was Toby's fault. We're not messing this up again Sam.'

'Sir?'

'If you need to see someone, see someone. If you want Stanley here we'll get him here. Josh and I saw him and nothing came out. But if it does, rest assured that the full weight of Presidential disapproval will fall upon the first person to raise so much as an eyebrow. You're one of ours Sam, nothing changes that. Now go do your job.'

'Thank you sir.' 

**************************

Sam looked up at the TV to give his full attention to the end of CJ's press conference. She was smiling broadly as she gave the last piece of news.

'And for those of you interested in staffing here in the West Wing I'm pleased to report that former Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn has returned to us in the new role of Communications Director. Toby Ziegler has become Senior Counsel to the President although he will retain an input in Communications much to our dismay. Fiona Kerry will remain as Deputy Communications Director. If anyone doesn't know Sam, he's the good-looking one whose impressive CV includes work at Gage-Whitney and the ability to recite the 535 Congressmen alphabetically. That's all for now, I'll be back at five.' CJ walked away from the podium and Sam smiled at the slight grin on her face. He was still smiling as Toby and Josh entered his office.

'Sam.'

'Hey. What's up?' 

'The education bill.' Josh answered quickly. 'We have a problem.'

'Amendment?'

'Yup.'

'Abstinence only?'

'Two for two.'

'And we need to decide whether to kill it?'

'You need to decide.'

'_I_ need to decide?'

'Yeah.'

'Why?'

'I want to kill it. Toby says let it go. You need to turn one of us round before we can go to the President.'

'Why can't the President decide?'

'Leo wants one solution. The President doesn't have the time to hear us argue it out.'

'Since when does the President not have time to here opposing views?'

'Since when do you not have an opinion on an education bill? Come on Sam, we need to show them we won't be pushed around on this. Abstinence only doesn't work, we know that.'

'We also know that this Congress won't pass the bill without it.' Toby spoke for the first time since entering. 'We can't deprive the schools this funding until we get a more genial Congress. Bite the bullet and let it pass, next time we'll get it right.'

'Isn't that the sort of governing that gets us half measure on top of half measure so we never get _anywhere_?'

'Isn't that the sort of governing that you normally advocate Josh? Piecemeal compromise so that some governing actually gets done? We can't afford for you to have one of those days where you need to win just because you need to win. And we definitely can't afford to have you drag Sam into it.'

'Excuse me?' At his name Sam interjected. 'What makes you think I'm going to be dragged around on policy?'

'Because he knows I'm right.' Josh threw in. 'In meetings for five years you've said that we need to do something about this.'

'You must have been in different meetings Josh,' Toby said, 'because for the past five years Sam's been saying we need more money in education even if it means some concessions.'

'There's concession and there's surrender.' Josh answered. 'And Sam knows the difference.'

'Sometimes we need pragmatism.' 

Fifteen minutes later Josh and Toby looked around in confusion.

'Did he not come back?' Josh asked.

'When did he leave?' Toby questioned, to be answered by a shrug. 

'Well that's disturbing.'

********************

'Ginger?'

'Yes?'

'Have you seen Sam?'

'He's in with Fiona.'

'Thanks.' Toby went to walk past her and was stopped.

'Have you and Josh sorted it out yet?'

'What? No.'

'Sam said you and Josh weren't to come in until it was done.'

'Ginger…' He stepped forward and she sidestepped in front of him. 'This is ridiculous.'

'He said no.'

'Farcical even. I'm your boss.'

'Sam's my boss. Him and Fiona.'

'I'm Sam's boss.'

'And Josh is yours but we wouldn't have answered to him over you.'

'I can get the Secret Service to remove you.' Toby's threat prompted Bonnie to walk over.

'CJ might find it difficult to explain why the Secret Service had to remove two staffers.'

'This is a show of solidarity?' He watched as a few other Communications staffers looked about to stand up and join the insurrection. 'Fine. We'll be in my office when he remembers that this is the White House and not nursery school.'

********************

'Can I come in?'

'It's been three hours Fiona. The President needs a position and we haven't got one yet. Is Sam ready to come out and play?'

'Attitude like that'll get you nowhere Toby.' He glowered at her. 'Nope. Sam told you to hire me because that doesn't work on me.'

'He didn't _tell_ me to hire anyone.'

'That's not how anyone else tells it. He told you to hire me because you don't scare me. And he needed to know you still had that around. So as I'm not scared of either of you, and as I've heard so much about the story telling abilities of the Senior Staff lets try one:

Once upon a time there were three brothers. The eldest brother was the clever, cynical one everybody wanted to be respected by while the middle brother was the witty, passionate one all the girls fell for. But the youngest brother was the genius, the one who was adored by everyone, even people he'd only known a few weeks. His brothers made it their responsibility to look out for him but recently they'd hit their own problems. While their baby brother was trying to deal with his own demons they couldn't help him. The eldest brother feared that his little brother was going his own way without his help. And the middle brother worried that they had lost the easy camaraderie they had in youth. So they fought each other, and monsters with bright green eyes. These monsters blocked them from their brother so much that they couldn't see that he was suffering because of them. And so he went on hurting.

I work for him, not you. And if you want to fire me for calling you jackasses that's fine, but think about the number of people who've said that today first. Anyway, this is your position paper.' She handed pages to Toby. 'And one for you.' She did the same for Josh and placed a third paper on the desk. 'That's ours. The Congressmen who'll get behind it are on the last pages. Or you two can fight it out. I'm locking my door now because Sam and I have other work to do.' She strode out of the office leaving Toby and Josh unsure of whether to be fuming or contrite. Josh settled on perplexed.

'How did they write three position papers in two hours?'

'Can't have.' Toby replied but Josh gestured in disagreement.

'One. Two. Three.'

'I'm not denying there are three here. I'm just saying it's unlikely that two people write three logical position papers in two hours.'

'They were both researching beforehand. Is there not a speech tomorrow once we pick a position?' Toby shook his head then saw Josh's confusion.

'There is. I'm just…we shouldn't be finding a position this close to a speech.'

'We didn't have an answer yet. Speeches have been written in cars Toby.'

'Immediate response speeches. Not major education initiative ones.'

'You think she was right?'

'I'm not _jealous_ of you Josh.'

'And I'm not jealous of you but we argued about something for two hours in your office and half an hour in Sam's, fifteen minutes of which he was not even present for. And we didn't notice. Something is not right there.'

'We may have…been a touch forceful in trying to get him to pick a side.'

'Yeah. And we didn't actually ask for input as much as say pick me, pick me.'

'Yeah.'

'Should we go and apologise?'

'Must we?'

'I think so.'

'We couldn't just take him out for beer?'

'No.'

'We could bring him pie.'

'Not everyone's a pie-fiend Toby. Least of all Sam…imagine if both the writers needed pie to write speeches…it would be anarchy…city wide shortages…writer on writer violence…'

'You terrify me.'

***********************

'Sam?' 

'We're working.' Fiona answered in response to Josh's call.

'We want to apologise.' The door opened slowly and they walked in. 'Sam. About your role in policy…' Sam stood up, closed the door very deliberately, and sat back down.

'Can I say something first? When you two got stranded on the campaign I did _both_ your jobs. I directed Communications, I staffed for the President on no sleep, never having done it before, and then I wrote a speech in the car after a school bombing. So please don't tell me to stick to my own job. Especially not you.' He glared at Toby. 'Don't even try and tell me when you had this job you didn't do anything to make sure that we did the right thing, not just sounded like it. We shape the message but we decide whether it's the right one first. We do not just listen to the policy makers and write what they say.' Sam halted suddenly.

'Sam. We know that.' Josh tried again. 'We're trying to apologise here.'

'Yeah?'

'We did say.'

'I thought that was just a cunning ploy to get in.'

'No.'

'So go on.'

'What?'

'Apologise.'

'We're sorry.'

'Are you both sorry or are you using the royal we?'

'We're both sorry.'

'Toby doesn't look sorry.'

'Sam.' Toby growled.

'What?

'I'm sorry. Are we done now?'

'Yes. You're both forgiven for trying to use me as a pawn in your wicked schemes and for insinuating that I have no role in policy.'

'Sam? Is it just me, or is this conversation a little rehearsed?' Toby watched him suspiciously.

'No…'

'Sam.'

'Leo called and said congratulations on the solution.'

'So that was just a scheme.'

'I don't like being used.'

'You weren't.'

'I was Toby. You and Josh were point scoring. But now we're even.'

'So that rant was for nothing?'

'It wasn't a rant; it was an articulate detailing of my grievances. And I wrote it in my head before he called, I wasn't about to waste it.'

'Sam?' Fiona asked, reminding the others of her presence. 'Rewind a minute, you wrote it in your head?'

'You never write in your head?'

'Not conversations.'

'This is an aspect of Sam you will come to know and fear.' Josh grinned. 'He'll come up to you and continue a conversation you never had. He has entire debates with someone else's voice as the opposition and doesn't realise they weren't there.'

'Wait until the State of the Union.' Toby warned. 'He'll come to you and start talking about that plan we had to use a kite analogy in the second section. I swear one day he started talking to me about sending rats to colonise Mars.'

'So occasionally I rehearse conversations. It's not so weird.'

'Not weird in relation to everything else you do.' Josh countered. 'Just because it's not the weirdest thing you've done today doesn't mean it's not weird by the rest of humanity's standards.'

'What weirder thing have I done today?'

'Refused to come into the bullpen?' Toby replied.

'Hummed the Beatles to yourself in the Oval Office?' Josh topped.

'That was how he knew I was zoned out?'

'Yes Sam, and for future reference, zoning out in the Oval is not a great idea.'

'What song was it?'

'Sam!'

*********************

'This is Sandy Thomas reporting live on what has turned out to be a great victory for President Bartlet. A Republican amendment looked likely to kill an initiative sending billions of dollars into under-funded public schools, but the President secured a vital compromise in the eleventh hour. This lost him the free condoms programme but does not guarantee abstinence only, instead he won a more in depth sex-ed programme, huge funding for books and other resources, more staffing, financial assistance for trainee teachers as well as block grants to be allocated by schools where they're needed most. Reports have been coming out that this path through the storm was the brainchild of newly returned Communications Director Sam Seaborn. Aides in his department refuse to confirm this but do agree that he had a role in this debate and it's known that he was one of the staffers working over the past two days to secure victory. Either way it seems that President Bartlet has once again safely navigated the thorny Congressional path. This is Sandy Thomas, now it's back to the studio.'

'Leo? Did I sound as if I was an add-on in that report?' The President asked.

'No sir.'

'You see it sounded as if Sam was perhaps the important one.'

'Of course not sir.'

'Are you humouring me?'

'No sir.'

'I bet if I was the main topic of news reports I wouldn't be humoured. I did in fact sign off on that policy.'

'Yes sir.'

'Plus attend innumerable policy meetings before the 'eleventh hour' rescue. Good job again Sam by the way.'

'Thank you sir.' Jed acknowledged the thanks and then looked round at the rest of the table. This time he had attracted Leo, CJ, Josh, Toby, Sam and Fiona to play poker.

'We're all here, the vote is won, the argument is won and even the reporters think so. Now if only I can know one thing we can start playing.'

'What's that sir?' CJ asked obligingly.

'What exactly went on in Communications yesterday?'

'Sir…'

'I heard talk of stormy silences, staff uprising, wailing and gnashing of teeth...and suddenly there's a position paper on my desk.'

'It's a long story sir, and not an interesting one.' Josh assured him.

'I heard it was a very interesting one but I imagine that as long as you and Toby apologised to Sam it can wait until later.'

'Why do you ask questions you know the answer to?'

'Just for kicks. Deal.'

'Fiona?' Toby asked. 'If you're not scared why are you hiding on the other side of the table?'

'I'm not scared of you, but I've heard stories about these games and I'd rather not be beside the President thank you very much.'

'What did you hear?'

'I heard…that you can be quite distracting sir.'

'Are you implying that I cheat?'

'No sir. I'm sure you're just beguiling and the others are jealous of your skills.'

'I like this one. She can stay.'

'Ow!'

'Josh? Why did you kick Fiona?' As Leo tried to sort out the bickering Jed smiled in satisfaction. He muttered something inaudible.

'What was that sir?' CJ asked.

'I said it's like having the girls all home.'

'Because of the squealing?'

'Partly. But all good family gatherings start with a fall out and end round a table some way or another.' He lifted a glass. 'To stormy silences, yelling, apologies, new daughters and long lost sons returning. In short, to family.'

'To family.'

'And getting your own back on evil chess players.'

'And crazy people who write conversations in their heads.'

'And pie fiends.'

'Leo?'

'They get this from your side.'

**************

A/N 2: All done. Possibly with the series because I've ran out of fairy tales! Now hit the pretty button down there!


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